


The Intriguing Originality

by livvy_x



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Jughead Jones is Not Asexual, New Student Betty Cooper, Southside Serpent Jughead Jones, bughead - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-02-23 05:12:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13183074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livvy_x/pseuds/livvy_x
Summary: After moving to the Southside, where she does not fit in at all, Betty Cooper has an unlikely saving grace named Jughead Jones, who just happened to be a vital member of the Southside Serpents. How does there relationship come to be? And how does it bloom over time?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> After Betty Cooper and her mother move to the Southside, where she does not fit in, Betty meets her very own saving grace named Jughead Jones at school, who turns out to be the Prince of the Southside Serpents.

Betty Cooper and her mother were officially residents of the Southside. After the divorce of Alice and Hal, the Cooper mother was going from job to job, trying to keep money on the table and still writing for a good team. None of her short jobs worked out though. She went through nearly everything and the next best thing was on the opposite side of town. After thinking about it, due to how tight they were on money, Alice thought moving back to the Southside would be a great idea… she was a Southside native, which most never knew.

To Betty’s eyes, everything was different in the Southside, and she was not prepared to adjust. Her friends back ‘home’ weren’t here with her either, making it even harder for her. Though she wasn’t fond of the idea of her having to move, she knew that once Monday would come around and she’d go into her new high school for the first time, she’d put on her brace face and get through it.

In a calmer fashion, Betty shook all of those thoughts out of her head and helped her mother organize their new apartment. Betty knew she had to be mature about this, so she was going to be.

* * *

The first day of going to a new school came around in a flash. Since it was her first day, Betty thought she should present herself in a fashionable and pretty manner. She wore a nice, light jean skirt with a beautiful pastel pink, collared jumper as a top and a pair of matching pink booties as shoes. She wore her hair in the infamous Betty Cooper ponytail. As a way to add a little spice to herself, she put on some mascara and a pretty pink lip gloss. For her sense of style, she looked ready to go.

On her walk there, she felt a bit uncomfortable and out of place. There were children smoking cigarette and marijuana simply walking on the side of the road, and that is something her mother had cursed about back on the Northside. Everyone was giving her sideways glances as well, but she figured it was because they never saw her before. She kept her head high as she walked, knowing she’d soon be familiar with this all.

When she walked into Southside High, it was like her word exploded. The students were fighting, groups of people were going through a security check, there was vandalism all over the lockers and walls… and last of all, everyone was dressed in black and leather. She stood out like a sore thumb. She gulped and made her way to the security line, keeping her head in its place, refusing to let herself look inferior.

As she waited with books in her arms, groups of boy and girls were laughing at her, taunting her… she ignored them. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a very tall, slender boy wearing a crown beanie and a leather jacket walk into the building with a cigarette between his lips. Instead of going through the check, he walked right to his locker. She didn’t understand that, _how could he just get through? How could he smoke in school? ___

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As the black haired boy was at his locker, he got out his books and then leaned on it. After taking a puff of his cigarette, he looked out, immediately spotting the girl who stood out from the rest. After all, she was the only one in pastel. No one walks around the Southside in clothing like that.

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For a brief moment, they made eye contact, but Betty was the one to break it. His gaze on her was strong, and she didn’t understand why that one look made him seem so powerful. Her questions five thoughts about the mysterious boy were distracted when a pink haired girl and a tall black haired boy walked towards her. She straightened up, wondering what was going to happen.

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“Look at what we’ve got here,” the tall boy in a jacket that matched the beanie boy said, chuckling as he spoke. He got closer and twirled the blonde ponytail in his fingers. Betty was highly uncomfortable.

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The other girl that was with the boy started to laugh. “We got a preppy girl in the Southside now, don’t we? Whatcha doing here, lollipop? Don’t look like your side of town,” she said, threateningly inching her face closer to the blonde.

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Betty, being Betty, looked the girl in the eye. Though she was nervous on the inside, her exterior didn’t show that. “I’m going to school… just like you, punk girl,” she said smoothly.

____

The unknown girl raised her eyebrows. “Ooh, blondie’s gotta a tone on her. Don’t think you wanna know where that gets you around this place. You might not like it, little cupcake,” she said through seethed teeth. Though she was small in stature, this girl knew how to cause fear.

____

“Guess we’ll have to find out, girly,” Betty responded, raising her eyebrows to show she didn’t feel like backing down. If this girl was going to use pet names for her, she was going to use them back.

____

Then somebody interrupted them, calling out names. “Yo. Toni, Sweetpea. Let’s go,” a male’s voice said. When eyes turned, they all turned to mysterious, beanie boy. Within seconds, the two were gone, but they didn’t forget to push Betty’s books down while doing so.

____

Betty looked up, and saw that same beanie boy looking at her while the other two walked towards him. Their eye contact this time lasted a little long, and for some reason, the boy smirked at her before walking away. That was the type of smirk that could end up being the death of a girl… it was dashing.

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* * *

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Betty did not get though the first half of the day very well. She did learn though that most of the school was split amongst two rival gangs, the Ghoulies and the Serpents. It was quite nice walking through the halls of a gang ridden school… _sarcasm noted _. She ended realizing though that the teenage who had leather jackets with a snake on the back were the Serpents, which was pretty obvious.__

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No matter what class she walked in, she got stared at. It was understandable to look at the girl who looked so opposite of everyone else, but these glances were just plain evil. They looked like they wanted to come after her for even being there. Boys made inappropriate comments, and girls were snarky. She just tried to walk passed it all, not showing a glimpse of what she thought.

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Along with all of that, people were talking about how ‘cotton candy girl’ mouthed off to Toni Topaz, a Serpent. Great. Now she had to worry about being on the bad side of one of the worst gangs in Riverdale… _couldn’t get any better than that, right? _She had a long day ahead of her.__

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Lunch was the time that she was hoping to be alone. She sat down at an empty table, and pulled her lunch out of her bag. She had brought in a simple caesar salad and a bottle of water. As she ate, she pulled out the book she was reading, which was called _Silence of the Lambs _. Everything was going smoothly until that same pink haired girl, Toni came up to her from earlier.__

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Toni flipped the blonde girl’s salad upside down and threw her book on the floor. “And look who I’ve found again,” Toni said, turning to the boy she was with earlier, Sweetpea and another unknown boy. “What’s your name, lollipop?”

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With a rude facial expression, she responded, “Elizabeth Cooper, but you can call me Betty… and you’re Toni Topaz.” She didn’t want to back down and look weak, but she knew arguing with a gang member had to be the worst idea on the planet. She sat back down, looking at the spilled food, and the. reached for the book that was on the floor.

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“That I am, Cooper,” Toni smirked through her words, sitting on the table, directly next to Betty.

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Sweetpea then sat on the other side, while the other boy walked closer. “A girl from the Northside who has a little boost in her? Where you get that from, pony? Or you just looking to get teared down?” Sweetpea cackled loudly.

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The other boy then spoke up. “You’ve come to the wrong place to act all high and mighty, Betty Cooper,” he said, unattractively snorted.

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Then, all of a sudden, a familiar voice boomed the area. “Leave her alone,” the boy said. To Betty’s surprise, the few who were trying to terrorize her immediately stepped away. “I don’t see her doing no harm, so until she does, you keep your distance. Understand?” He walked forward, hands in his pockets.

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The three nodded their heads and got up, retreating to their sears. “We got it, Jughead. We’ll leave her alone,” Sweetpea said. They all even apologized then.

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_Jughead, _Betty thought. _What type of name is that? _____

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He turned to look at her then. That eye contact. Jughead felt a shot of electricity flow through him as they stared at each other. Simple eye contact had never sent that type of feeling through him, it was quite intriguing, and he wondered what it was stemming from. He smirked again, sending involuntary chills down Betty Cooper’s spine. Jughead saw her gulp and felt proud of himself. That boy wasn’t done speaking, that she could tell as he turned to Toni again. “Go buy her a lunch, please,” he said, a little bit kinder.

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Betty was shocked. It was clear as day that this… Jughead had a lot of authority over the Serpents, but she didn’t understand why he was helping her out. It was just the fact that he was a Serpent that confused her; it was also that fact that he was possibly the most attractive boy she had ever laid eyes on, so _really, what would he want with being nice to her? _When they met eyes again, she quietly muttered out, “Thank you,” to which he nodded and then walked away while lighting a cigarette. What the hell made him so authoritative this place?__

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* * *

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Betty wanted her last two periods of the day to go as fast as possible. Any longer in this place and she was sure that she was going to explode or break down or something. All she had to do was manage… she’d get used to it eventually, right?

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While most things she wanted to steer clear of and never have to hear of again, there were something’s that peaked her interest. The gang rivalry. Whatever the hell ‘jingle jangle’ is. Jughead.

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Speaking of Jughead, as Betty picked her head up to look out the small, rectangular window on the door that led out to the hallway, the said boy walked by. Of course, she was intrigued, so she kept looking. Suddenly though, he looked in, immediately catching her eyes. Betty felt herself buckle up, but then he smirked and continued walking. He was quite the mystery, and those glances? She had no clue where they were coming from.

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* * *

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School was over and everyone piled out. Jughead, like always, waited until most of the students were gone so he wouldn’t be stuck in an ambush of rushing teenagers. As he walked back to his trailer, he thought back to that electricity he felt pumping through him while he made eye contact with that new girl. The thing that interested him so much though was how, there she was, a girl in a pastel outfit with her hair in a ponytail, was shooting back at a gang girl. It was quite impressive.

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As he was in his thoughts, he heard the voice of a girl yell out, “Fuck!” When he picked up his head to see where it was coming from, he saw that same girl with her books laid out on the sidewalk. Directly after her swearing, she covered her mouth and said, “Whoops,” as if it was wrong to say that. Jughead actually stifled a laugh. When she bent down to pick her stuff up and it slipped out of her hands yet again, she let it out, shouting, “You know what? this,” to herself. Jughead simply watched in amusement… she was quite the new girl to have around.

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Once Betty finally had all of her stuff gathered in her arms and she stormed away, Jughead made up his mind on something. The way that she confidently walked through all the catcalls that came from the old men that sat on the side of the road, and the way she went about herself in school, she was something else. Jughead wanted her, and to say that boy didn’t get what he wanted was unheard of.

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* * *

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Day two of Southside High. Betty was not going to alter who she was to _fit _in, no matter how badly it sucked. This time, she word tan bootie heels and a tan and floral skirt along with a plain, white blouse with a light pink cardigan over top. Her hair and makeup were the same as the day before. This time though, she added a beautiful necklace that had a butterfly on it. She looked like Betty Cooper, and that was all that mattered.__

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The morning was fairly similar to the day before, just without the Serpents pestering her. Instead of the Serpents, it was Ghoulies this time, which was slightly terrifying. Those guys seemed a little bit less sane. Most of them were certainly high, so she wasn’t sure if their insults were even to be taken seriously since they weren’t of sound mind.

____

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She made her way to the front of the security check line with the Ghoulies following. All of a sudden, a younger recruit of that gang came running. “Boys, boys. Scatter. Words out that Jughead Jones has got coverage of this one. He’s makin’ sure she don’t get shit. The son of FP Jones will destroy you two, and Malachi don’t care about you enough to look out for your asses. You ain’t no heirs like Jones is. You better scram. He’s coming!” With that, the two kids ran.

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_Heir? Heir of what? Maybe heir of the Serpents? _Betty was completely baffled. She couldn’t understand why this kid said that Jughead was going to be making sure she doesn’t get any shit around here. These two didn’t know each other, so maybe be was just friendly. Deep down though, she felt the electricity that he had.__

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Seconds later, like the kid said, Jughead Jones walked into the building. His eyes immediately met hers, and he gave her that famous smirk that he had been. This time though, almost involuntarily, she grinned back.

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From what she had been hearing, the gangs in this town were hard core, and here Betty was, growing an attraction to a quite authoritative member of the Serpents… _if that ain’t her luck _.__

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* * *

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Lunch time. Betty was nervous for what it would bring. She knew the Serpents were off her back but what about all of the other people in this school? No one here was genuinely nice… not even the teachers. She feared that she was truly never going to get used to it. _Then again, how can a girl in pastel blend in at a place like this? ___

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To her complete surprise, two Serpents still managed to make their way over to her. “Who are you?” The anonymous boy and girl said at the simultaneously. The girl reached to stroke her ponytail, which let her tell you, was getting freaking annoying.

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“Betty,” the blonde answered. She spoke in a friendly tone, figuring it’d throw them for a loop. From the looks on their faces, it did. Looking back and forth at the two, who were obviously siblings, Betty said, “And you are?”

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After a moment, the boy snorted. “What you think you can be friends with us or some shit?” As he made his face closer to hers, Betty could see that he truly wasn’t an attractive guy… inside and out.

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Before Betty could respond, Jughead’s voice came echoing. “I told you that no one fucking messes with her,” he said, taking swift steps their direction. The siblings jolted up. “What did you not understand?”

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“We didn’t know! No one told us, Jug. We’ll leave her go,” the girl said. She even turned to Betty then, “Sorry, pony… we’ll be nice.”

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Jughead nodded at them and then tilted his head towards the Serpents lunch table for them to go sit. He looked at Betty. He didn’t realize when it was just them one on one, it was kind of nerve racking. Gulping, he said, “You good around here?”

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Betty smiled softly at the beanie boy. “Gettin’ along,” she responded. “Um. I don’t know why you’re doing it, but, uh, thanks for… you know,” she blabbered out, hoping that it even sounded coherent to his ears. Though he had done nothing but help her, this boy gave her butterflies in her stomach.

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“Anytime, sweet cheeks,” Jughead winked, finding his confidence yet again when he saw her squirming under his gaze. With that then, he left he sitting there to read _Silence of the Lambs _. He knew she was watching as he walked away.__

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* * *

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Betty was at her locker, getting ready to head back fo the apartment. Her mind kept wandering to the good looking boy in the crown beanie, but she knew she had to stop. What was she going to do? He was in a gang, she couldn’t just talk to him like a regular person… right? Well, all in all, she didn’t really know how anything worked with that type of stuff.

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Taking her mind off of that, she glanced to the side and immediately caught sight of a poster saying, ‘Join the Red and Black today. Editor needed.’ Her heart dropped at that. She was an editor for the Blue and Gold back at Riverdale High, and if this could be the one thing that was going to give her a sense of that, she wanted to do it. Looking further into the poster, she saw that it said, ‘Meeting today for new members. 3 o’clock sharp. Room 115.’ She checked the time, seeing she had two minutes to spare and ran for it.

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Once outside of room 115, Betty had to catch her breath. After she composed herself, she pushed open the door with a smile on her face. “Hi—” She started to speak, but stopped when Toni Topaz was standing at the front of the classroom. “Never mind,” Betty said, walking out.

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Before Betty was totally gone, Toni yelled, “Wait, lollipop! Wait,” she ran after her. “Tell me your here because of the editing position?” Betty gulped, but nodded. “We need an editor—”

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“Do I want to work with you though?” Betty asked, not really meaning to sound mean. It just kind of came out that way. When she realized the harshness of that, she looked down. “Sorry. That was rude,” she muttered.

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Toni shrugged. “Eh, it’s cool. I know we didn’t start out great, but we need an editor. Show me whatchu got and I’ll make sure no Serpent ever even lays an eye on you ever again—”

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“Uh, I think that’s my job, Toni,” a familiar voice said from behind Betty. It was Jughead, of course, and for once, his demeanor was actually coming off as joking. “What’s this?” He asked, raised eyebrows, looking between his fellow gang member and the blonde beauty.

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Putting both hands on either side of Betty’s shoulders, Toni pushed her forward towards Jughead. “I found an editor for the paper,” she said excitedly. Jughead’s eyebrows shot up in amusement.

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“I said I might not—”

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“Lollipop, shut up,” Toni said. “Let me see what you got before you decide anything, okay? Okay. Good. Let’s go,” she said, taking Betty’s wrist and dragging her into the newspaper room. It shouldn’t be a surprise, but there was no other people in there that were looking to be an editor. Toni was just happy to have someone showed up, even if it was pastel girl. “So, I’m the photographer for the paper and Jughead is the writer,” she explained.

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This took Betty by surprise yet again. “You write?” She asked Jughead, trying to sound chill and calm as she spoke to him, which was harder than it should be. She was also pretty shocked that a guy like him took time out of his day to write.

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“That I do,” Jughead responded, taking off his satchel and placing it by his feet. “You edit?” Betty nodded. “Any proof of that?”

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Betty nodded. “Got a laptop I could use?” She asked, and Toni handed hers over. The girl typed in the URL to the Blue and Gold webpage and pulled up the most recent article that she edited. In another tab, she pulled up an article that was not edited by her, but written by the same person to compare the differences. “Here. Read mine first and then the others.” Doing what she said, Toni and Jughead moved their seats closer and read the articles. When they finished both, they just had wide eyes. “So?”

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“Shit, girl. This writer sucks. I mean, for fucks sake, you practically wrote that essay. That second one? Edited by the other kid? It sucked. You edited that writers shitty article to actually sound decent,” Toni blabbered out. She was impressed. “Hired!” She clapped.

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“But do I want to…”

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“Do this,” Jughead encouraged her. “You’re pretty fucking good at what you do. Why give it up because you gotta work with this psycho?” He asked, elbowing Toni in the ribs as he talked about her.

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Betty thought for a moment. Hearing that come from Jughead was sort of… refreshing. It was the kindest words she heard from him. In reality though, she never sees him talk besides when he’s telling people to stay away from her, so she decided to take it as a compliment. Letting out a sigh, Betty said, “Alright.” She then furrowed her brows. “But stop calling me lollipop,” the girl blurred out, causing Toni to giggle and Jughead to grin.

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This was going to be something. Also, as she agreed to this… all worries of crushing on a Serpent had drained away. She didn’t know it, but she was in deep.

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They worked for a while actually. The late hour didn’t bother anyone, not even Betty. She knew her mother was going to have a late night at the editing company she was at, so as long as she was home by eight, it’d all be okay.

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Toni, on the other hand, had to leave to make dinner for her siblings. When she saw that it was 5:30, she practically bolted, leaving Betty and Jughead alone. The butterflies erupted in the girl’s stomach once again. Why did this Serpent boy do that to her?

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As Betty was trying to edit some of what he had just wrote, it was unusually silent. She wanted conversation, even if he was okay with the quiet. “So,” she said a bit uncomfortably, “seems like you really got this place wrapped around your pinky.” She couldn’t help but giggle at the thought of it. All these tough kids, following the orders of this one… the slender, shy, pretty one.

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Jughead nodded with a bit of shame, which was more or less confused. “My dad runs the game. It’s in my blood,” he mentioned. _The heir. _It didn’t see like he was too proud of that. “I’m keeping all my guys off you though, right? None of them bothering you?” He was genuinely concerned. Yesterday when he first saw her, he just had an intuition that she should be left alone. Now, he actually didn’t want her to get hurt.__

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“No, they’re fine,” Betty replied. “Uh, if you don’t mind em asking, why are you keeping them off my back?” She looked at the boy, who currently wasn’t looking at her. Just from this short time together, he seemed to be internally different than the way he was externally.

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Jughead then looked up at her. “When I see someone or something that’s different or unique, to say, I think it’s important. Originality should be valued, and let me tell you, sweet cheeks, you got it down,” he told her. When her cheeks turned red, he couldn’t help but smile. It was a real smile… normally all Jughead does is smirk, but she had this effect on him, and oh, boy, did he dig it.

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Betty coughed nervously. “Well, uh, thank you again,” she said shyly.

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For a girl who holds her head so high on her shoulders, Jughead found complete entertainment in making her shy. This was real interest that he was having. He really wanted to get to know this girl.

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Things finished up then, and the two of them were packing their stuff up. “Well, see you around tomorrow, Betty said, waving and beginning to walk out.

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“Ah, ah, ah,” Jughead called out, running after her. “Do you carry a weapon on you?” She shook her head. “Then I am not letting a pretty girl like you walk home alone. The men in this place are ruthless and repulsive,” he said, locking the door of the newspaper room.

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Betty nodded.“I’ve noticed,” she rubbed her arm. She tried to let go of the fact that he called her pretty as she rubbed up and down. Jughead noted that action as a nervous tick. That, and the way her hands clenched into fists, which he’s noticed her doing since the morning yesterday. “I should be okay though. It’s not too far. You don’t need to—”

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“How about I say I want to?” Jughead asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Of course, Betty couldn’t say no to that, so she nodded and they continued walking.

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Betty didn’t know why she found so much interest, but she wanted know more about life on the Southside… she wanted to know more about _his _life on the Southside. “Again, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s it like being Serpent?”__

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Jughead sighed. “It’s like you got a whole big gang looking out for you no matter what you do, but it’s also like you mess up, you’re in some deep shit. Always gotta make sure you’re doing what’s best for everyone,” he explained, shoving his hands in his pockets. “It’s not all that bad,” he said, but Betty didn’t know if she believed him. As expected then, he changed the subject. “What’s it like living on the Northside?”

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“I miss it,” Betty said. “It’s different though. People there are stuck up. And instead of insulting someone to their face, like people do around here, you do it behind their back. People there are kind of, uh, petty, I guess the word would be,” she said.

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Jughead nodded. “Now, the real question,” Jughead said. “Girl like you got yourself some football player or something that’s waiting for you back on that side of town?” No matter what the answer was, he was going to make her his.

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Betty nervously chuckled. “Nope. Guys don’t like a girl like me,” she said as if it didn’t bother her. If you looked close enough though, you could’ve seen something flash across her face.

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“What’s a girl like you?” Jughead asked before correcting her statement that boys don’t like her. He shifted closer to her as they walked.

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Betty snorted. “My mother was the bitch of the town, for one. She’s freaking brutal. Two, the way I attempted to stand up to Toni at school? That doesn’t go along to well at Riverdale High,” she chuckled. “And then three? Well, Jughead, there are many pretty girls in this town… and I’m not one of them,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “Not that I mind, I’m too work driven to worry about what boys think—”

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Jughead stopped in his tracks once Betty’s words completely registered. When she stopped talking and turned to look at him, he scanned her whole face, taking in every detail. “Betty Cooper, you are beautiful,” he said. Betty’s cheeks flushed and she shifted on her feet, like she didn’t believe it. He stepped closer. Normally he didn’t have this type of courage to outright say something like this, but just being around her, he felt more free… which he thought was probably insane, but it was true. As he scanned her face, he saw that she needed more clarification. “You’re beautiful,” he repeated.

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Finally looking up and making eye contact, in the softest and sweetest voice ever, Betty said, “Thank you.” Her heart was pounding hard in her chest. No one has ever called her beautiful before, especially not in that genuine tone that he had. _If this boy is as bad as bad gets in this place, shouldn’t I be scared? Shouldn’t he intimidate me? Why does he seem so honest? Why do I feel so drawn to him? ___

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“Mhm. Only telling the truth, sweet cheeks,” Jughead said, winking. He saw her shiver then, from the cold, of course (a bit because of him though). “Let’s get you home.” Betty grinned and nodded.

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What a day.

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* * *

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Betty wanted to get to school earlier to avoid the crowds. She was still in a slightly good mood from walking home with Jughead the day before, and she didn’t feel like dealing with everyone picking on her. She couldn’t believe how sweet he was, so she just wanted to think about that and nothing else, even though she was sure it was just him being nice. She practically ran down the sidewalk in her white converse. Not that she cared too much, but she hoped that she’d blend in a bit more today, being that she was wearing a pair of jeans with a light, pastel blue sweater. As always though, hair and makeup were the same. She started to feel like that precious ponytail was starting to become a trademark for her on this side of town as well.

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When she got to the school, there weren’t many people there, just a handful. Not a single person there had been any threat to her yet, so she let out a breath of relief. She got through security and everything and then headed over to her locker, which was down the hall. As she gathered up her stuff, the school started to crowd up so before anyone got to where she was, she made a b- line for her classroom and got there without any issues.

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Slowly, one by one, the class started to pile in. Of course then, a new face walked in… one who hadn’t been in this classroom the past two days. “Mr. Jones,” the teacher said. _Jughead _. “Glad you could join us today,” he said.__

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“Hm,” Jughead nodded, putting his cigarette out on the teachers desk. “I make it a point to come to this class once a week. Today’s your lucky day,” he said. When he turned and saw Betty, he smirked and took a seat next to her. “You were early today,” he said so that only she could hear.

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Betty nodded. “Felt like skipping the crowd,” she told him, grinning back at him.

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“Well, if you keep doing that, I’m gonna have to show up earlier too, you know,” Jughead said, winking. Betty didn’t understand why he was saying that, but she knew he was flirty. The idea of a boy this gorgeous flirting with her on purpose was practically unbelievable, so still, she assumed it was just his nature. With warm eyes, Betty smiled at him, and then fell into focus of the class. She didn’t know Jughead stared at her for most of the class… she had no clue.

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* * *

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Throughout the day, Betty decided to try and find different routes to her classes. Of course, the new blood in the hallways caused a few people to say some pretty cruel things, but like she had been, she just kept walking. Some of these ways around were even quicker than the ways she had been going. 

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Once or twice, she caught eye of Jughead. When she caught those sneaky glances of him, he seemed to be acting different than he was when they were talking. She never really saw him talking , despite having a posse of Serpents around him. Whenever a girl would come over to the area, he wouldn’t even glance. He kind of had a broody aurora about him, which she could’ve seen earlier, but she didn’t expect it to actually be like this. Now she really wondered why he was so kind to her… was it real?

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* * *

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Lunch went smoothly, for once. Jughead knows that because he got there early enough to sit with her for while and remind people that she was off limits from any terrorizing. He liked sitting with her more than he like sitting with his friends, but he knew one day soon that he was going to get her, so he was taking his time.

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She was something from a movie, in his opinion. A gorgeous girl who knew that she had a voice in his world. She was what he needed, something different and sporadic… there was no doubt about that.

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* * *

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Betty was proud of how she went about the day. Literally nothing went wrong *knock on wood. She was at her locker, putting her belongings into her small backpack when all of a sudden, two Ghoulies cane around. “Uh, oh,” she muttered.

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“Haven’t been able to get our hands on you yet, new girl. Serpents been takin’ up all your time,” the taller boy of the two seethed. The way he said the word ‘Serpents’ showed that he really was not fond of them. A true rivalry.

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The shorter boy slammed her locker shut, and inches her way between it and her. _Too close, too close, _Betty anxiously thought. She stepped back, but the other boy was there. She was boxed in and scared. They were cackling, which rightfully annoyed her. “Back off,” she muttered, trying not to sound like a wimp.__

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“Oh, I like the feisty ones,” the shorter boy said. The look in his eyes was inhumane. He inched their faces together. “We’re gonna have some fun with you, girl,” he whispered.

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Betty started to sweat nervously. Her hands were clenched so tight that she was sure that blood was probably going to be drawn. In this moment, she was sure that Ghoulies were the worst of the two gangs. This wasn’t a joking matter, this was real threats.

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A girl’s voice shouted then, disrupting what these boys had planned. “Ghouls, if I was you, I’d run away now,” she said. Betty was surprised to be thankful, but that was the only way she felt when she heard Toni’s voice.

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The Ghoulies didn’t budge as they looked at Toni, still not letting go of Betty. Then, Jughead snuck up. “Too late,” he whispered in the taller boys ear, causing him to jump back. When he was far enough from Betty, Jughead swung, hitting the boy in the face. With a bloody lip, the boy ran, but the shorter boy stayed and managed to punch Jughead right in the eye. Betty squealed, unsurprisingly. After that, with one strike, the Ghoulie fell to the floor, and scrambled away. As they ran, Jughead rolled his eyes. “Pussies,” he yelled after them.

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Betty had her hands covering her mouth in shock. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “Thank you,” she said in that same sweet voice that she had the night before. This boy literally just punch led someone for her… a fucking Ghoulie, for that matter.

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“Anytime, sweet thing,” Jughead winked and turned to her.

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When Betty saw that there was blood coming from the corner of her eye, she felt guilty. “You’re bleeding,” she told him, standing on her tippy toes to look at the cut. Jughead touched then small incision and shrugged like it was no big deal. She didn’t know where the sudden confidence came from but, she looked at him and said, “Come here. Let me see.” Jughead choked back a grin, but bent down for her to inspect it. When her fingers grazed his skin, that electricity that he had been feeling when they made eye contact, grew stronger, coursing through his body. Betty gulped under his gaze. “You’re gonna have a bruise,” she whispered, not meaning to sound so quiet.

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Before Jughead could respond, Toni called out from the newspaper room, “Get in here. I’ll clean it up.”

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_Cock block, _Jughead thought about his friend.__

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The two of them went to join Toni in the newspaper room. Jughead sat down and the pink haired girl came to him with a wet paper towel, as she was rubbing some of the blood away, Betty was winding. “Oh, my god. That is not how you clean a wound,” she shuttered, not being able to hold back.

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Both Serpents turned to look at her with wide eyes. “Okay, Dr. Ponytail. You do it,” she said, extending the paper towel out for Betty to take, but the blonde ignored it.

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Betty went under the desk that was in the front of the room and pulled out a First Aid kit. Inside was all of the equipment that she needed. While she was doing this, Jughead looked at Toni, mouthing the words, _“Get out of here.” _Toni looked at him in confusion so he pointed between him and Betty. Toni mouth made an O-shape as she caught on.__

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While the blonde was walking back to where Jughead was seated, Toni quickly picked up her stuff. “Gotta go. See you, Jug. See you, ponytail,” she said quickly and practically ran out.

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Betty just watched as she ran out, not really caring about the reason. “Okay,” Betty said, going to where then beanie boy was. “Hold this,” she said, handing him the little bottle of hydrogen peroxide that she had already put onto a cotton pad. He did what was told and she inched herself closer. In a light manner, she cleaned up the cut.

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“You may be the gentlest person I’ve ever met, Betty Cooper,” Jughead said softly, looking at her through his eyelashes. She was something else.

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“Well,” Betty started, “you already got hurt for me… I don’t need to inflict anything that makes it hurt worse.”

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Jughead chuckled. “Doesn’t hurt. I’ve been hit worse than that before,” he told her.

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Betty dropped her hand for a moment. Despite him acting like it was nothing, it was _something _. He really stood up for her these past few days, and now this was reaching the peak of it all. Looking at him in the eyes, she said, “You didn’t have to do that for me, you know? You didn’t have to do all the things you’ve done for me so far.” Jughead wasn’t saying anything, he was just staring at her. Since she was all nervous, in the way that only he made her, she kept blabbering. “I mean, I know you said something about like ‘originality should be valued,’ but I feel like that doesn’t explain it—”__

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Jughead put a hand to her mouth, silencing her. “Wanna go get a milkshake? My treat?” That is how he answered this.

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Betty furrowed her eyebrows. When his hand escaped her mouth, she said, “Sure,” with a smile. As she was putting the First Aid stuff back, she realized something. “Shouldn’t it be my treat? You just got punch—”

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“My treat.”

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“Okay,” Betty said, cheeks flushing again.

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* * *

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When Jughead found out that Betty also loved Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe, he made a mental note to come her with her as often as they could. While she only ordered a milkshake, the boy ordered a full cheeseburger meal and a milkshake. His appetite made Betty giggle.

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Communication between the two of them was so natural and easy; neither of them ever experienced something like this. After a bit of small talk, laughter, and conversation of getting to know each other, Jughead’s face fell more serious. “So you wanna know why I’m looking out for you? Why I don’t want no one hurting you and all that?” Betty gulped and nodded. Jughead stood and slid into Betty’s side of the booth with her. This was him taking a shot, and my god, did he hope it would work. After a second of staring at each other, Jughead bent down, got closer, and connected their lips. It was longer than expected, but it was perfect. Sparks were flying. He liked how she tasted like strawberries and bubblegum, so when they separated, he tried to savor the taste. “That’s why,” he whispered then, with their faces still close.

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“Oh,” Betty mumbled out in a high pitched tone. Her heart was pounding so hard that she was sure the whole entire place could hear it. She had been so confused the past couple day on what Jughead’s thoughts were of her, but at this moment, she felt like this was right. Licking her lips for one last taste of sweet mint gum and cigarette smoke, she shuttered. Betty wanted more. Grabbing onto his leather jacket, she pulled him closer and initiated another kiss. They both smiled through it. “That’s me thanking you for being so amazing,” she whispered, making sure their foreheads were still touching.

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Breaking this perfect moment, the sound of a very familiar voice came from behind them. “Jughead? Betty?”

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Both of them turned their heads at the same time. “Archie?” They said simultaneously. They turned to look at each other after that. “You know Archie?”

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Another voice came then… a girl. “Betty?”

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“Veronica?”

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Veronica looked between Betty and the boy in the beanie. It was completely obvious that there was something between them, being that they were so physically close. For example, Betty’s leg was hooked with his. “Ooh, girl, you got a lot of explaining to do to me,” she giggled, happy to see her best friend with a boy. She looked this boy that she did not know up and down, clearly approving.

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“Wait, you know Archie?” Betty said, turning back to Jughead. She was so confused. This boy was quite puzzling, there was no doubt about that.

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Jughead looked from Betty to Archie, back to Betty. “Our dads were best friends,” he explained. “We were best friends when we were little.”

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“No way,” Betty said. “I lived next to Arch my whole life. He’s my best friend too. And Veronica, his girlfriend? She’s my other best friend,” she explained.

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Jughead was thoroughly amused once again. “Small world,” he said, putting his arm around her and kissing the side of her head. Betty’s heart felt like it was exploding as she leaned into him. It felt so right.

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“Well… uh, do you wanna come sit with us over here?” Archie asked, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand and pointing to the table he had occupied with the other.

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Betty tilted her head up to look at Jughead to see his response. She wanted to just be here with him for a moment, but whatever he decided, she was okay with. He gave her the same iffy look, and Betty grinned. “We’ll come say bye to you before we leave. We’re gonna stay here a while,” she told the redheaded boy. The two Northsiders nodded and retrieved to their table.

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“Who would’ve thought that we’re friends with the same person?” Jughead said, looking down at the blonde girl that was under his arm. “I didn’t peg you as the type of person to be friends with him.”

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Betty’s eyes roamed the boy’s face, tracking his light smirk. “Did you peg me as they type of girl to be sitting here, kissing the most badass boy I have ever met?” She wiggled her eyebrows. 

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Jughead chuckled. “Not from the looks of you,” he said. “That attitude you have? Your _charisma? _” He scrunched down to be eye to eye with her. “Well, honey, that fits my type just perfectly.” He scrunched his nose a little bit, making her smile.__

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Betty giggled. “Good to know I fit your type, Juggie… very good to know,” she applauded. Truthfully, she couldn’t believe she was having this conversation with Jughead Jones. Maybe dabbling around with a Serpent was a bad idea, _but the heart wants what it wants, _and that kiss made it very clear as to what she wanted… what they both wanted.__

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* * *

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School the next day, Thursday, was different. Jughead got Betty in without having to go through security, which, to say the least, was pretty nice. Throughout the day, he’d find her walking through the halls, and grab her hand to pull into an empty classroom just so he could kiss her at least one time. He was extremely sweet, and it made Betty like him even more than she had, which is more than anyone could imagine. No one really bothered her today either. Everyone simply steered clear, which gave Betty a sense of relief.

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When she walked into the lunch room, Jughead was walking in through the other side, and immediately made his way to her. “Hi, pretty,” he greeted.

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“Hi, Juggie,” Betty responded sweetly, reaching out to hook her arm through his. He smiled down at her, making her feel like she was melting. _Was he always going to make her feel like this? ___

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“Come sit with us today,” he whispered. “I’ll make everyone sit at the other table since you don’t know any of ‘em. Just sit in my area with me.” Jughead had a hopeful look on his face, like he really wanted her to be there with him. How could a girl resist that? Betty nodded, and he pulled her over to their table. Everyone looked up, questioning eyes at the girl in the pink pastel dress. Sure, they were intimidating, but Betty covered that thought by simply meeting eyes with Toni for a moment, who she was most comfortable with. “Stop staring. Move over a table,” Jughead then said.

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“All of us?” Sweetpea said through a mouthful of food.

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“Don’t make them all squish at one table,” Betty said softly, tugging at Jughead’s arm. She would’ve felt too much like she’s intruding if she was the cause of that.

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Jughead bit his cheek, trying not to grin. How she could always be so sweet mannered, he didn’t know, but it was something he really liked about her. Clearing his throat, he said to the Serpents, “Toni, Sweetpea, Fangs? You can sit where you want. The rest of you move, please.” He added the ‘please’ just to seem a bit nicer. Once the other members got up to move, he led the girl to the table and sat next to her.

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“This your girl now?” Sweetpea asked, studying the two.

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Betty’s cheeks turned bright red. _Jug’s girl. ___

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“You even have to ask? Betty Cooper is totally Jug’s girl, Sweetpea. I mean, god, he had his eyes on her like she was one of his fucking cheeseburgers at Pop’s,” Toni snorted. “And, you know what? She ain’t all that bad in my opinion,” she added, making Jughead smirk.

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Fangs clapped his hands. “And finally, the one and only, Forsythe Pendleton Jones III, has gotten himself a girl—”

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“Why you gotta use my fucking name like that, man?” Jughead asked, pushing at Fangs from across the table. Fangs chuckled as he got pushed at. “I fucking hate that name,” he said, shaking his head. Now, Betty knew it though, so it wasn’t too much of a big deal.

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To his surprise actually, Betty spoke up. “Hey, I think it’s cute,” she said, only to him, of course.

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Jughead couldn’t hold back from cracking a big smile. Pulling her into his side, he placed three big smooches on her cheek, making her giggle. “You’re the only one, _Elizabeth, _the only one to ever say such a thing.” Betty shook her head, never wanting him to call her by her full first name, making him laugh.__

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Betty kissed his cheek really quick and said, “I’m gonna go to the restroom real quick, _Forsythe, _” she wiggles her eyebrows. “I’ll be right back.” With that, she was up and rushing to the bathroom so she could quickly return.__

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Toni, Sweetpea, and Fangs all had wide eyes and raised brows. “What?” Jughead asked as he took in their expressions and reached for a french fry off of Sweetpea’s tray.

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“She’s different from us, you know?” Sweetpea vocalized, wondering how much this affected Jughead’s view on the two of them having a relationship… if it did at all.

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Jughead nodded, smirking a little bit. “Oh, I know that,” he said. That’s what was so intriguing and amazing and breathtaking about her… she wasn’t like anyone he had ever met before. She is what he needed, and he’ll keep thinking that until something really changes (but in all honesty, he hopes it never changes).

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“You really like her,” Toni said, letting him know how blatantly obvious it was. Sweetpea and Fangs all gave him eyes that simply showed their agreement on what Toni had said.

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Jughead chuckled. He sounded happy; real happiness never shows in him, but here it was. “That I do,” he responded. _I finally found my girl. ___

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	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After moving to the Southside, where she does not fit in at all, Betty Cooper has an unlikely saving grace named Jughead Jones, who just happened to be a vital member of the Southside Serpents. How does there relationship come to be? And how does it bloom over time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While further into their relationship, Jughead is still trying to keep Betty safe… even through her crazy, secretive mother and especially through the assholes of the Southside.

Ever since Jughead and Betty became a couple a few weeks ago, the boy was notoriously keeping his new, beautiful, unique girlfriend as safe as he possibly could in the dangerous halls of their high school. When they were together, the second any other student would give her a sideways look, he would scowl at them, showing a bit of threat. No one was to bother her, no one was to mess with her. Just his presence around her made that known to the students of Southside High, and anyone who crossed that line, well, they were in for a rude awakening. He had hoped that that stuck for when he wasn’t around her as well.

The core friend group that Jughead had was honestly warming up to Betty since they’ve gotten to know her. After a few days, they found her sense of humor and side comments were actually quite funny. Another thing that drew them to her was the way she that she outwardly volunteered her help with anything they needed, whether it be not understanding homework or not being able to clean up the aftermath of a fight that was shown on their face. She didn’t look at them with judgement as they did to her when she came around, and they all appreciated that.

Their relationship was just going really well, and Jughead wanted to keep it that way. He wanted to show her how much he valued her. “Hey, babe,” he said, while shutting his laptop to stop him from working.

“Hm?” Betty responded, not paying complete attention as she typed away on her own laptop. Her focus and determination also was a factor that made Jughead head over heels for her; it was quite admirable.

Toni snorted at the scene in front of her, lifting her head from the photographs she was going through. She knew that if Betty’s attention wasn’t directly on Jughead, she’d have no clue what he was saying to her. Helping her friend out, she called out, “Yo, lollipop!” At that, Betty’s head shot up, looking at Toni with horror at why she’d use that nickname again. “Your boyfriend’s talking to you,” she pointed at Jughead, who was grinning ear to ear. Betty’s cheeks flushed, not realizing she wasn’t aware of her surroundings a moment ago. Once her attention was averted, Toni refocused on her own work.

“What’s up?” Betty asked Jughead. He got up and started walking to her, sitting on the desk in front of where she was seated. “What?” She asked softly, wondering why he seemed so intent on whatever he was about to say.

“Let’s go on a proper date tonight,” Jughead proposed. “Like one where I pick you up and I take you out to dinner and a movie.” She was his girlfriend, and he was going to treat her the way a good boyfriend treats his girlfriend… like a fucking princess.

“Really?” Betty asked, a smile gracing her lips. “Like a real proper date? Are you gonna pick me up at my apartment? Do I have to dress fancy? Or are we gonna go to Pop’s? We both love Pop’s. What movie will we see? Ooh, Juggie! This is gonna be so fun,” she babbled, squealing giddily. The first ‘date’ she went on with Jughead went great, and all the other dinners they had picked up since then have went well also, but they never considered it to be a proper date. This excited her.

Jughead grinned at how fast her questions were coming. She was so adorable sometimes. “Yes, I’ll pick you up at home. A real proper date. Just dress like yourself. Yes, we’ll go to Pop’s. I’ll surprise you with the movie,” he answered all the questions in one go, just as she asked them. She smiled through every word he responded with, making his heart swell in ways he didn’t know was possible. “Oh, and seven o’clock, okay?”

Betty nodded. “Okay,” she responded. It was going to be a great night. She then reached up, grabbing Jughead’s leather jacket to pull him down for a kiss. He made a sound of surprised, but the kissed back even harder.

“Ew!” Toni complained. “Get a room.” The two separated momentarily, giggling. With no remorse, Jughead chucked the middle finger at her and then turned back around to kiss his girlfriend again.

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Although Jughead had told her just to dress like herself, Betty wanted to look pretty for their date. She was looking through her closet and found a powder blue sundress patterned with pinkish-tan roses all around it, it was quite a nice dress. After trying it on, she decided to wear that with a tan cardigan and matching tan high heels. The outfit looked nice, but sort of like her regular self. Changing it up a smidge, she decided to wear her hair down in waves, simply clipping the tops back to keep it from falling in her face. For her makeup, she put on a light coating of pink eye shadow, mascara, and pink lip gloss to finish it off.

Just as she was finishing up, the doorbell of her apartment rang. She flattened out her dress as quick as possible before running out of her bedroom to get the door, hoping to get there before her mother did. She was too late though, hearing, “Hello—”

“Hi Mrs. Cooper,” Jughead said. “I’m Jughead. I’m here for—”

“Me!” Betty finished his sentence, going to give him a welcoming kiss.

Jughead noticed something different, unsurprisingly. “Your hair’s down,” he realized aloud. This was his first time ever seeing it like this, and honestly, he couldn’t believe how amazing it looked. “It looks so pretty,” he said, reaching up with one hand to tuck a fallen strand behind her ear. Of course, she blushed, quietly thanking him.

Then, with the other hand, from behind his back, he pulled out a bouquet of red and white roses.

“Oh, my gosh, Juggie,” she gasped before she reached for the flowers. “You didn’t have to,” she beamed, looking at the beautiful bouquet.

Jughead chuckled. “You say that way too often,” he teased. “I do this stuff for you because I want to, honey… not because I have to.” The smile she was giving him at that made his heart swell, which just the look of her normally causes.

Betty stood on her tippy toes and planted a sweet kiss on his lips. “You’re the best.” She squealed. “I’m gonna go put this in a vase,” she said, running to go do that, leaving Jughead and her mother there alone.

Jughead shifted on his feet, a bit nervous to have to deal with the heavy gaze of Alice Cooper. The woman was really scrutinizing everything about him, taking in his whole entire appearance, so of course, Jughead felt a bit uncomfortable. To his surprise then, Alice spoke up. “You’re FP Jones’ son,” she said as if it was obvious.

Jughead nervously coughed. “Uh, yes, ma’am… how do you know that?” He furrowed his eyebrows a little bit in confusion. In his mind, the further he thinks about it, Betty’s family and his family seems to have no possible connection, right?

“We used to know each other,” Alice said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Your father wasn’t too good of an influence back then. Seeing as you, yourself, are a Serpent, I suppose you aren’t either.” She clicked her tongue, still studying the boy up and down, from his beanie to his combat boots. “Splitting image,” she mumbled under her breath. Then with furrowed and expectant brows, she asked, “So, Jughead, what are your intentions with my daughter? Trying to make her one of yours? Need another member in the gang?” She mocked.

“No,” Jughead responded instantly. He was internally wincing with each word that Mrs. Cooper said, but he kept a straight face. “I don’t want Betty to be a Serpent. I want her to be her, and that’s all. You have to understand, Mrs. Cooper, your daughter is like no one I’ve ever met before. Breaking someone of their nonconformity would be the worst action that I could take,” he spoke honestly. “I’m with Betty because she’s who she is. I would never try and change that.” He tried to hold eye contact with the woman after he finished speaking, but damn, was she intimidating, which was a lot to say, coming from a Serpent.

Alice stepped forward a bit. “A snake may shed his skin, but it always grows back.”Jughead raised an eyebrow and tensed at that, but then Betty walked back into the room. “Elizabeth, do you know you’re dating a Serpent? Do you understand how dangerous that is?”

“Yes, I know I’m dating a Serpent. No, he is not dangerous. He’s the one who keeps me safe in school. And you know what? I’d like for you not to insult my boyfriend, please. He’s better for me than anyone else ever has been,” Betty said, trying not to sound snappy, but ultimately failing at doing so. She then turned to Jughead, smiling and saying, “Let’s go,” she whispered, grabbing her boyfriend’s hand and pulling him out to the hallway of the apartment building.

Jughead looked a bit conflicted. “She does not like me,” he said, stating what was obvious to his eyes.

Betty stopped, and turned to look at him. “She doesn’t like anyone. Gosh, she doesn’t even really like me, for that matter.” She snorted, acting like that didn’t bother her. “So don’t take it personally,” she told him while she stood on her tippy toes, kissing his cheek.

As they started walking again, the boy interlaced their fingers. “She was the bitch of the Northside, correct?” Jughead asked, and Betty nodded. “I guess the name sticks around here too,” he and Betty snorted at that because it seemed to be the honest truth.

“So, off the topic of my insane mother,” Betty said, now showing a sliver of excitement in her tone. “What do you have planned for this date of ours?” She squeezed his hand, beaming up at him as they walked.

Jughead smirked. “Pop’s first,” he said, which Betty already knew. “Then, _Rebel Without a Cause, _” he told her the movie, wiggling his eyebrows at her. The blonde girl squealed once again and jumped up, she _loved _that movie. It was really going to be a fun night.____

____As they got to Pop’s, they laughed, they joked, they kissed… they had a really good time as a couple. Being with each other was truthfully the happiest either of them has ever felt. Though they had been together for three weeks, it felt so new and perfect. For God’s sakes, when she did something as simple as leaning into his side during the movie, it felt like the fucking stars aligned; any form of touching was so electric and intoxicating._ _ _ _

____The only unconventional part of the date was that throughout the night, while Betty acted like she didn’t notice the sideway glances they were getting, Jughead had to tighten his grip around her and send evil eyes to anyone that would internally downplay his girlfriend; they created quite the system. In reality, the strange looks were understandable being that a girl who resembled a real-life Princess Bubblegum was with a boy who resembled punk rocker, Glenn Danzig. From the looks of it, they didn’t seem to be a matching pair, but man, no one knew how perfectly they fit together._ _ _ _

____Overall, with the gorgeous bouquet of flowers, the scrumptious dinner, and the fantastic movie, it was a wonderful date night._ _ _ _

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____Betty walked into school early as she had been for the past couple weeks, still feeling like she was on a high from her date with Jughead the night before. With her books in her arms, in her light colored jeans, white blouse, and green cardigan, she trotted her way to her first period class. The way her lips were curved upward into that blissful grin of hers seemed to be completely unfaltering._ _ _ _

____As she approached her classroom, a boy budged into her, causing her books to fall. She didn’t get frustrated or even a bit bewildered by this, she just simply bent down to pick everything up. “Sorry,” she said apologetically, looking up and realizing he must be a new student. He was also in all black, coming off very grungy like everyone else in this school (besides her). In response to the girl’s apology, he growled. Once he looked at her, he snorted at the sight of her, and then stormed off. It was nothing new, but Betty refused to let the judgments bother her… not today._ _ _ _

____While she tried to grab all of her stuff, a familiar hand came under her vision, helping her gather all of her belongings. She looked up to see Jughead, unsurprisingly. Leaning over everything, she immediately went in to plant a sweet kiss on his lips. “Good morning,” she beamed._ _ _ _

____“Hi, sunshine,” Jughead responded, standing up with all of Betty’s books in one arm while he helped her to her feet with the other hand. “Someone giving you trouble already today?” He asked worriedly, looking around the hallway to see if there was anyone who seemed worthy of getting cracked down on._ _ _ _

____Betty was constantly flattered by the way he always wanted to take care of her, but any unnecessary acts of roughhousing was not in her agenda for him. Her plan was to keep her boyfriend out of as much trouble as she could. “No, no,” she cleared up. “There’s a new student here, I think. He accidentally ran into me, that’s all,” she said, intentionally leaving out the part that he laughed at her because she knew how that would turn out for the new kid. From the look on his face, Jughead still seemed skeptical. “That’s all, Juggie,” Betty repeated, putting a hand on his arm to emphasize the _sliver of truth _that she was telling him.___ _ _ _

______“Alright,” Jughead replied, knowing he had to believe what she was telling him. He simply didn’t trust the other kids in this school, but in reality, _who did? _Then the two entered the classroom, and Jughead set her books on her rightful desk. “How was your walk here this morning? I could’ve picked you up, you know?” He grinned at her.___ _ _ _ _ _

________Betty nodded her head. “I know. You can pick me up tomorrow,” she said. “It was good though, quick. I was distracted the whole time,” she sheepishly admitted. He gave her a feigned questionative look, clearly holding back a smirk. “Yes, Jug, ‘cause of you,” she spilled. “I just had a lot of fun last night. Thank you for that,” she said, reaching from her desk to his so that she could give an affectionate squeeze to his his hand._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________As he brought her hand up to his lips so he could kiss Betty’s knuckles, Jughead grinned. “So did I, babe—”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Okay, class of involent criminals!” The teacher let out a shout, trying to avert all of the students attention to be on him, and cutting Jughead off in doing so. The boy hunched his shoulders, looking at Betty with a defeated frown. She silently giggled and put a finger up to her lips, telling him to keep quiet._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

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________“Hey,” Jughead threw a balled up piece of paper at his girlfriend to get her attention. She picked her head up from her book, looking at him. “Last night your mom said she knows my dad.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Betty raised an eyebrow before saying anything. “She did?” Jughead nodded and explained. “How would that even be possible?” Now, Jughead shrugged, showing his similar amount of confusion. “I’d ask her, but my mother is my mother, and she’d never voluntarily tell me about her past. That’s something I’ve learned over the years,” she snorted._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jughead contemplated for a moment, before perching up. “Let’s go to my trailer. You could meet my dad, for one… and for two, we could ask him about it,” he suggested._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________This took Betty by surprise, but she nodded her head and stood up. “Okay, you run to your locker, and I’ll run to mine. I’ll meet you at your motorcycle, sound good?” He nodded, and they split ways then._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Betty got to locker quickly, and retrieved everything she would need to go home after going to Jughead’s trailer. She heard the same snickering coming from behind her that she heard from the new student that she collided with in the morning. Turning around, she saw that same boy standing with Malachi, the heir of the fucking Ghoulies. Snide comments started to come from the both of them, but for the moment, they were keeping their distance. When she wasn’t responding to their disgusting flirtation, the words became more cruel and they insulted her in every way they could. Her stomach twisted nervously at everything they said._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Wanting to get away from the Ghoulie boy and their new apprentice, once her backpack was filled, she practically made a run for it. When she got outside, her boyfriend was already pulled around to the front of the building, waiting for her. “You okay?” Jughead asked, noticing the way her free hand was clenched._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Yeah, of course,” Betty responded, faking a smile. She knew damn well that Jughead could see through it and was ready to interrogate her, but the way she was looking at him caused him to keep his mouth shut. When she was sure he wouldn’t ask any question, she put the helmet he had for her on and climbed on the back of the motorcycle. “Let’s go meet your dad,” she said, more to herself, and then they were on their way._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________When they got to the trailer park, Betty took of the helmet, fixed her pony tail, and breathed in the air. She was happy to be away from other people, but no one needed to know that. Looking at the trailer that Jughead lived in, she grinned to herself, being that this was the first time she was seeing his home. It made her happy for some reason… made her feel like their relationship was taking a step up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Ready to go in?” Jughead asked, snapping her from her thoughts. Betty nodded, reaching for his hand. When they got inside, the boy yelled, “Dad! Come here! I want you to meet Betty!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________There were sounds of shuffling and then out came an attractive, middle aged man in an infamous leather jacket, who resembled very much of his son, minus the fact that he had scruff and Jughead didn’t. When he caught eye of Betty, his jaw gaped. “Holy shit. Your have got to be Alice’s daughter,” he said. Instantly he realized how that probably was rude to just blurt that out without introduction. “I’m sorry. Hi,” he extended a hand. “I’m FP, Jughead’s father obviously. I’ve heard a lot about you,” he smiled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Betty returned that smile of course, but hers was more naturally jovial. “It’s nice to me you too, Mr. Jones,” she responded, and FP replied by insisting that she calls him by his first name. After a little bit of small, introductory talk, Betty curiously asked, “So, FP, you know my mother?” Now Jughead has stepped forward, wanting to her the response to that._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________FP reached for his collar, tugging it lightly. “Uh, yeah. I used to know her.” From way that the two teenagers eyes were pleading for me, he sighed, caving in. “Ali used to ride with us,” he said, looking down. “She was never a real Serpent, but she knew the game, and played along.” He seemed a bit uncomfortable talking about it, _like it ended badly, maybe? _____ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Betty was more shocked than she was she found out her mother wanted to move to the Southside a few weeks ago. _Alice Cooper? Riding with the Serpents? _It almost didn’t sound real, but Betty wanted to know more. “How did she get into that?”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Well, your mother, Fred Andrews, and I were like the three amigos growing up,” FP told her, grinning a bit at the memory of how close they all were. “I broke off though, following in my father’s footsteps, and one day after I left the Northside, I opened the door of my trailer and there she was,” he shrugged his shoulders. “She didn’t fit in around here, but man, the way she is? She made sure by the time that she left this place that she made a fucking imprint.” FP chuckled a bit, feeling reminiscent._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Were you two, like— together?” Jughead asked, seeing his father talk this way about a woman was not very common._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________FP sucked in a breath. “Once upon a time, we were almost in love with each other, but we were never together.” Now looking at Betty, he smirked. “She was quite the girl… not too nice though,” he laughed. “You any nicer than your mother?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“She’s a fucking saint,” Jughead responded for her, nodding his head to emphasize. “Or a fucking angel,” he said. “Maybe both.” Betty smiled at the compliment, and leaned a bit into her boyfriend’s side._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Stay that way, honey. You’ll get farther in life,” FP told her, feeling like she already knew that. “Well if you two know all you need to know about Alice, I’ll give you two some time alone. Don’t need me haggling you all night,” he joked. “Time to go to the Wyrm,” he said, patting his son’s back as he walked passed the two._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Betty smiled. “Thanks, FP,” she said generously. He nodded and was on his way. Once the door shut behind the Jones father, Betty turned to look at Jughead. “Holy crap,” she said, shocked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Jughead put an arm around her, pulling her close as he led her to sit on the couch with him. He gazed at her, wondering how she was feeling and what she was thinking about what his father told them as she curled her feet up behind herself, leaning into him. She sighed, just getting lost in her thoughts for a moment._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Running a hand though her pony tail, he softly asked, “What are you thinking?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Not looking at him, rather just staring ahead of her, Betty responded, “That my mother’s a hypocrite, and that I actually have no clue who she is as a human being.” On the inside, she felt a bit conflicted. Jughead just sighed, wanting to respond and be helpful, but not knowing how. Betty looked at him, knowing what he was thinking himself and weakly smiled; he always wanted to make her so happy, and she loved him for that._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________For a while, the couple just stayed on the couch. In that time, they both realized that laying with each other like this was somewhat of a safe place. Betty made a pact with herself that if anything goes wrong, this is where she wants to be._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________After so long of simply lounging around, Betty got up to make them dinner. Unsurprisingly, she ended up make Jughead enough food to last him and his father through a whole entire week. They lacked home cooked meals, so this was a nice twist on their everyday lives. As she cooked, Jughead stood in the doorway, watching with a lingering grin on his lips._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________While Betty cleaned the dishes she used, Jughead stood behind her, wrapped his arms around you. “I can clean the dishes, you know,” he said, resting his chin on her shoulder. “Also, did you know food is the way to my heart?” He teased. Then he kissed her temple, trailing down to her cheek._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Betty put the dishes down, not caring since she was almost done anyway, she’d rather kiss her boyfriend. Leaning against the kitchen counter, she grabbed onto his jacket, pulling him in so that their lips were clashed together. It started off slow, but eventually got pretty heavy. Passionately, they made out right then and there, against the counter. Somehow, Jughead’s beanie was taken off in the midst of this, causing Betty to run her fingers through his beautiful black waves of hair while he kissed along her jaw and neck. One of his hands held her close to him, sporting her lower back while the other was held on the other side of her neck, keeping her in place. She closed her eyes as he sucked into the sensitive part of his neck, helping him slide his jacket off while her shoulder peered out of one side of her falling cardigan. As his hand slipped in between her blouse, touching her skin, hers went up the front of his, resting on his hips._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Just as Betty let out a moan of pleasure, they heard the door swing open. “Jug, I’m home!” FP called out, causing the two to jump back in fear, like all the wind was knocked out of them. Thankfully they were still clothed. For a moment, they just stood there, collecting themselves. FP walked into the kitchen, seeing both teenagers with bright red cheeks and Jughead’s beanie and jacket on the floor. He wasn’t dumb, so not wanting to embarrass them more, he said, “Damn, Jughead, you even take your hat off for her? You must really like this girl,” he patted him on the back nonchalantly and walked into his bedroom, not even waiting for a response._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Now Jughead was chuckling and so was Betty. Their cheeks were still red, thanking the heavens that FP didn’t actually get to see anything. Then Betty walked forward, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend. “I should get going,” she said. Jughead had offered to drive her, but she insisted that she’d be okay walking… although she was safest and happiest with him around she had a lot to think about with her mother and the way kids still treated her at school sometimes. She kissed him goodbye and was on her way._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________* * *_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________On the walk home, Betty tried to figure out what she would say to her mother, but the looks people were giving her distracted her from that. She figured she was just overthinking it; she was actually almost sure that she was, but it just bothered her way more than she bothered to show. Sure, she didn’t fit in, but she’s never been the type to care. It was just the hateful eyes that got her riled up. Trying to ignore all that, she thought about Jughead, which always made her smile._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________When she entered her apartment, she saw her mother sitting in the living room with a glass of cheap wine in her hand. Betty knew that she probably wouldn’t be able to hold back from saying something tonight. “I’m home, Mom,” she said first._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Out with that Serpent boy of yours?” Alice responded, sounding disapproving. It made Betty see red._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________In an unaware state, Betty clenched her fist. “Mom, I found something out tonight,” she said as she walked closer to her mother. “You rode with the Serpents.” At that, Alice’s head whipped around to look at her… _pure horror. _“If you know the ropes, why are you so against me being with Jughead? You’re the one who sent me to the school in the first place.” She crosses her arms.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alice spat, standing to be level with her daughter. “I sent you to this school because your father and I separated. We have no money—”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Bullshit,” Betty snorted, surprised at the audacity she had to curse at her mother. “You could’ve kicked Dad out of the house. You were just fine coming here, until I find a boyfriend who just so happens to be one of your old friends son?” She was so frustrated. “I’m happy with Jug, Mom.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Alice snorted. “Please, Elizabeth. You’re just trying to fit in in that school. You’re nothing like the rest of them, you’re better. You could have a life set for you,” she said. “You’re trying to ruin it though by becoming one of them.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Who says I’m trying to become one of them?” Betty shot back. “Jughead isn’t trying to recruit me. I don’t ride with them. I’m just there! What is so bad about that?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Because you aren’t a Southsider, Betty. You aren’t even a Northsider. You’re Elizabeth Cooper, the perfect girl, with a life set out for her. You are _not _supposed to be falling into groups, trying to get along. You are supposed to be leading,” Alice said.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________This is what Betty hated… the way her mother had planned her whole life out for her, yet gave her no say, or the way she never took Betty wants and needs into consideration. Also, thinking that Betty was actually stooping to levels of peer pressure and following was like a punch in the gut because she has never been a follower. Betty has and always will march to her own drum, no matter how hard it could be with the way people judged her. Shocked and offended by the way her mother was speaking, she scoffed and stormed off into her small bedroom, slamming the door on the way. She needed some alone time to cool down._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________* * *_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Betty was thankful that it was the weekend. She was also thankful that her mother had to go into work for a few hours. She took this time to take a relaxing bath and finish up some stuff for the Red and Black. Dressed in a lilac-colored sweater that was a size too big and a pair of gray leggings, Betty had to run some errands after she was finished with her morning activities. She was doing all of this to keep her mind off of unpleasant thoughts._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________While she was out, she couldn’t help but hear what people were saying, and immediately thinking it was about her; most of it was, but some of it wasn’t. “Who the fuck is she?” Another one was, “Damn, that bitch should loosen that ponytail. She’ll lose brain cells.” Her nails dug into her skin. “Ew. She is so weird,” someone cackled. “Wrong side of town, princess.” Betty’s throat was starting to close up. “Bet anyone could force a girl like that into the sheets.” No, no. “What is _she doing _here? _” Enough was enough.____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________Betty didn’t exactly know why everything was so prominent and stinging lately, but she couldn’t take it. She dropped the stack of paper and the notebook she was about to buy right on the floor of the store, and ran out. It felt like she was gasping for a breath. Absentmindedly, she dialed Jughead’s number and called. “I need you to come get me.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________Unsurprisingly, Jughead was there within .2 seconds with his father’s truck rather than the motorcycle. While he pulled the car up to where she told him to be, he saw her sitting on the curb with her ponytail half falling out and her face shoved in her hands. He didn’t know what happened, but he wanted to kill whatever or whoever made her so upset._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________He parked the vehicle and hopped out, running to his girlfriend. “What’s wrong, babe?” He asked softly, removing her hands from her face to find her red rimmed eyes. It didn’t look like she had been crying, but more like she was holding back from doing so. “Okay, what happened?” Jughead spoke more sternly. “I will fucking end whoever—”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________“Jug,” Betty cut him off with a quiet voice. “Can we just go back to the trailer, please?” He’d never say no to her, so softening his eyes for her sake, he nodded and then they were on their way._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________When they got to the trailer, Betty immediately sunk down on the couch, curling her legs under her. Jughead went to get them a blanket so they could cuddle up under it. The second he sat, she curled into his side._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________“I don’t know why I’m not used to it,” Betty whispered, shoving her head in the crook of her boyfriend’s neck._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________“Used to what?” Jughead asked softly, stroking the hair that was now messy and out of a ponytail._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________Betty let out a heavy breath. “Every time someone says something… something, you know… not nice. I don’t even know half the stuff people say is about me, but I always assume the worst,” she explained. “And today, it was just too much. The way my mom was last night is probably why I’m so, like, short tempered or whatever today, but still,” she shrugged, not meeting his eyes. “I don’t want to change, Juggie. My mom though, she thinks that I’m with you only to fit in.” Her voice was starting to shake as she spoke. “But I—”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________Jughead’s heart was breaking for her. If he could make her life full of happiness, he would in an instant. “You what, Betts?” He asked, pulling back so he could look her in the eye._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________Mustering up words, she blubbered, “Well, for one, I am sick of being bothered by everything and holding it in all the time. And for two,” she said, now slower. “I love you, Jug.” This was the first time she’s ever admitted that, both to herself and to him, but in all honesty, it was the truth. Betty Cooper was completely and utterly in love with Jughead Jones._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________Jughead’s eyes widened, and Betty nervously looked away. His heart started beating just as it did the first time he snatched a kiss from her. Not being able to speak because of the initial shock, he lifted her chin and kissed her as hard as he possibly could. She let out a surprised sound, but then melted into it. “I love you,” he managed to mumble into her mouth, causing each of them to smile through the kisses. Abruptly, out of nowhere, he pulled away. Something had clicked in his head and he needed to act on it right away. “I’ll be right back,” he pecked her cheek, and ran to his father’s bedroom, leaving Betty alone and confused._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________With a small smile from their proclamations of love and the kiss that came with it, Betty relaxed back into the cushion of the couch. She thought for a moment, realizing that she shouldn’t be so bothered by others thoughts when she had someone who loved and cherished her by her side._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________Jughead bursted out of his father’s bedroom then, holding something behind his back. “Okay, you said you don’t want to change, right? But you hate how people talk and shit?” Betty nodded at Jughead questions. From behind his back, he pulled out a pink leather jacket with embroidered sky blue and yellow flowers on the back. “This was my mom’s,” he said, handing it to her. “I think it’ll fit you perfectly,” he grinned at her shocked and baffled expression. “Before she left… she was like you; always around, made her own path, never wanted to join the Serpents. She liked to be herself, but this made her feel more _involved _.” He sighed. “When she took Jellybean and left, she told me to give it to someone worthy of it, and well, that’s you.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________Slowly, she took the jacket, inspecting it all around. Without a word, she placed it on her lap while she discarded her oversized sweater, revealing a plain white tank top. She put the leather jacket on, finding that it fit perfectly. Tugging at the sleeves, she bit back a grin. “Jug, are you sure? It was your mom’s.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________Jughead nodded, going to sit next to her again. “I said she told me to give it to someone worthy, didn’t I?” Betty blushed at that. “You’re who I want to have it. Plus, you’re the perfect person for it.” All of a sudden, Betty tackled him down into a big hug._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________It wasn’t just the fact that he gave her his mother’s jacket, it was the fact that he loved her for who she was, and was simply help in her boost her self confidence in such a cute way. “Thank you,” she said into his neck. “You’re the best.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________The rest of the day, Jughead and Betty stayed curled up on the couch or eating whatever the girl could muster up in the trailer’s small kitchen area. They exchanged ‘I love you’s, and kept each other smiling. Jughead knew that this girl was the best person he had ever came across, and he was grateful that his small gift to her was enough to cheer her up. Like he’s been saying from the start, he wants to keep her safe so… for a final nail in the coffin, he texted his Serpent friends to make sure one of them is _always _around in school to look out for her. No matter what was thrown at her, he’d go to all ends of the world for her, and she would with him in return.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
